the spire of the cathedral. new totals show nearly $1 billion raised to rebuild church. a live look at the cathedral today. two days after the massive fire french authorities are securing what is left and identifying weaknesses in the structure. french president macron has pledged to rebuild the cathedral within five years. today bells will ring across france in commemoration of the fire. there was a vigil last night. ♪ the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but officials say they believe it was an accident. you, too, can share your thoughts and send love and prayer by sharing this badge on our social media pages available on twitter and facebook. it's 4:30 right now on the

dot. thanks for joining us. let's get a quick update on weather and traffic. hi, mike. >> hi, jessica. hi, everybody. a look at live doppler 7 absent of any returns. the visibility was as low as four miles. for some through some patches of fog. otherwise total sunshine when it starts to peek over the horizon. temperatures to around 50. quickly warming into the mid and upper 60s but still a slight sea breeze at the coast. by 4:00, look at that, oh, my goodness, does that look great. mid-70s and upper 50s still at the coast. a delightful evening at 7:00, mid to upper 60s. 54 at the coast. now the warmth is going to come to the coast tomorrow. some 70s on the way coming up. let's bring back al looking at

bay bridge toll plaza. we do have a three-vehicle collision reported. again, that is not blocking -- i'm not seeing it here on camera. just before you get to the toll booth. not seeing a backup. a quick check of drive times. we are in the green all the way around. westbound 580 tracy to dublin. just about 30 minutes for you. southbound 680 dublin to mission boulevard, half that at 15. highway 101 to cupertino about 16 minutes. we all know if you forget your reusable bag you have to get one at the grocery store and will be charged 10 cents for. >> now some want that fee to be a quarter. amy hollyfield joins us with more on the proposal and this is a big jump, amy. >> reporter: a big jump. how much is this bag worth to you, the bag you get here at the grocery store when you forget

your reusable one? you're paying 10 cents for this. there is a proposal to take that up to 25 cents it has been proposed to charge more in the opens of encouraging shoppers to their own bags and cutting down on waste. she wants to charge 25 cents for a bag and she wants to ban the plastic produce bags saying they are tough to recycle. she points out other cities are already charging 25 cents like san mateo and los altos. you have about another year until the cost of these bags possibly goes up. to avoid all of this, of course, bring your own bag. reporting live in san francisco, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. all right, amy, thank you. in the north bay a marin county sc district will change its

controversial name. there you go. the dixie school district board voted for the name change last night. critics argued the wordix d the soh. schools also namedeoa wmuskorty oong newam in august. an update now to a story we first told you about last week as part of our building a better bay area initiative. when it comes to protecting people on b.a.r.t., the transit agency is now considering adding unarmed ambassadors instead of police officers. your comments poured in and prompted the story. leslie brinkley has the latest on reaction to this ambassador's program idea. >> reporter: b.a.r.t. is now considered the bay area's homeless shelter. according to a daily commuter who wrote to abc 7 news, the homeless folks i've encountered are not physical and do not threaten violence. i see no point in scaring them

with armed police. thus the idea for an ambassador program. the b.a.r.t. board president confirmed they are actively drafting a proposal to lawn after pilot program for so-called ambassadors. that is potentially training new hires who may have formerly dealt with homelessness or addiction and having to monitor trains as a supplement to b.a.r.t. police to improve safety. isaiah wrote to abc 7 news, an ambassador cannot detain a suspect who stabs passengers. put passenger safety first. caryl wrote, i would not want ambassadors if they were ex-cons. it's getting scarier for me as a commuter. >> i oppose the ambassador program at this time. my fellow directors have great big hearts, and they love humani humanity. but it is not the right thing for b.a.r.t. right now. i want professionally trained police personnel. >> reporter: this b.a.r.t. director says it's complex. >> if they find themselves in

harm's way, have they been trained and are they -- will they be able to extricate themselves? if not does that end up putting the rest of the public at more risk? >> reporter: the b.a.r.t. board president believes the ambassador program could be a win-win. a majority of directors seem to lean towards trying out a pilot program for ambassadors, a pilot program that would definitely include the powell street station and one or two others possibly in the suburbs. those who oppose ambassadors are pushing to hire more officers saying they would like to see 19 new officers added to the budget going forward. we're going to, of foowg topic as b.a.r.t. says they absolutely welcome public feedback. in walnut creek, i'm leslie brinkley, abc 7 news.

>> we devoted a week to issues facing b.a.r.t. we posted them online at abc7news.com. since then you've responded with comments, questions and suggestions. share your ideas by joining our building a better bay area group on facebook. governor knewsome is newsomd to join lead eers, moments afte he was sworn in, he issued one of his first executive orders. n drugs amedt the o pscriptio expanding access to health care. today, by the way, is newsom's 100th full day in office. first partner jennifer siebel newsom and her groundbreaking role and her fight for pay equality for women. that's all on midday live right

after "the view." take a look at neighborhoods. good morning to n franci you. you're the coolest at 49. coming through the ferry building warmer, about 53. 51 in richmond. belmont, 50. 51 in palo alto. 54 in pittsburg. everybody else in the mid to upper 40s. let's see how much cooler this is than yesterday, anywhere from two to nine degrees cooler. likely our coolest morning this week. a look at your commute unlike yesterday as we look at the western span of the bay bridge it is dry. mass transit cool to warm today. the ferry ride calm and bright. make sure you have the sunglasses. look at the temperature spread today. 49 at 7:00. mid-60s by noon. near 70 at 3:00 and 5:00 and wall-to-wall sunshine. east bay valleys all the sunshine your solar panels can handle today. 49 at 7:00. mid-60s at noon and low to mid-70s in the afternoon hours. in the south bay we warm from 48 at 7:00 to 63 at 11:00 to low to

mid-70s in the afternoon hours. total sunshine for you, also. today is the beginning ofbo temperurlee ift lasts through the holiday weekend. you missed the wet commute yesterday. it going today? >> we're doing okay today. we do have a handful of smaller issues, nothing major as you can see. a lot of green on our traffic flows for our maps so far today. taking you to solano county, counter commute direction we do have reports of a semi fire near american canyon road. sounds like the trailer is partially engulfed. they are on their way to the scene and the slow lane is blocked. waiting for more details as soon as they arrive we should have access to those. b.a.r.t. trains begin running at 5:00 a.m. now so no delays for you. ace one on time. and should be a gorgeous day normal service, no delays. are you having a rough day at work? bringing your dog to work can be

relaxing but not everyone is onboard. >> the

let's take a look at what's going on. we're going to start with some afternoon temperatures on saturday giving you a sneak peek of how much cooler it will be by the weekend. but for the kids at school today, temperatures starting in the 40s and ending up in the 50s

at the coast. nearly 70 just about everywhere else. a look around the state if you have to travel today. really no weather worries. low to mid-60s from eureka. 69 to 73. san diego and los angeles, look at that, 92 in palm springs, upper 70s to 80 around chico and low to mid-60s in the sierra. the snow will be melting rather quickly as the lows at night will start staying above freezing. all right, mike, thanks. the illinois official who decided against filing charges against jussie smollett called him a washed up celeb who lied to cops. the state's attorney kim fox made the comment in newly released text messages she sent to her top deputy. sier kelly, referring to &b him as a pedophile. the redacted mueller report will be released tomorrow, and once the report is released democrats in congress say they'll immediately subpoena the justice department for the unedited version.

democrats argue it's the only way to assure the public nothing is hidden. the report is already a bestseller on amazon. the paper back version is on sale for $9.20. the kindle version is available for $7.99. to the south bay now, the santa clara county fire department wants to spend millions to stop future wildfires. the department says it needs $9 million to buy a lot of heavy equipment. that includes a helicopter, bulldozers, and other tools so they don't have to rely on other counties during major fires. santa clara county covers half a million acres of wild land but relies on cal fire when it needs a helicopter or bulldozer. meantime, the state is setting aside more than $43 million to prevent future wildfires. the money will pay for tree and brush inspections to ensure homes in areas with high fire danger have the right defensible space. >> in the south bay a doggie debate sparked by a tweet. should your furry four-legged

friend be welcome in the work place? the tech worker who sent the tweet felt it wasn't an inclusive policy. as reporter amanda del castillo reports, the comments get a strong response. >> reporter: pets in the work place, a perk or a problem? a tech worker posted an unpopular opinion about pet policies sparking a dog debate. locally many bay area businesses are accommodating policies impacting a number of industries. >> at a salon i was working at, clients would bring their dogs. it was common to have their little lap dogs while they got their hair done. >> reporter: she is working in tech and has a dog of other own. his puppy behavior got the best of him. >> then i realized it was not going to work out yet. >> reporter: others say pets in the work place simply don't work. the hbo series silicon valley put a humorous twist on the topic, bending the rules watching things get rough. >> what about the dogs? they're people, too.

>> reporter: business professor joe ellen posner says what some call the unpopular opinion of wanting no pets provides a real perspective. >> lots of people have dog allergies, have dog phobias or fears or they don't want that kind of distraction around them. >> reporter: the dog debate is right on time when so many are pushing to have frank conversations about wellness in the work place. pictures and videos show many are exercising pet policies. posner says much like any issue of diversity and inclusion in the work place, the dog debate offers an opportunity for more conversation. >> this seems like an unusual one, but it's all part of the same effort. >> reporter: in san jose, i'm amanda del castillo, abc 7 news. >> and amanda did an informal poll on twitter about dogs in the work place, and 54% said absolutely. 30% said no. 16% say it doesn't matter to

them. >> lots of strong opinions. we want to know what you think. head to abc7news.com/vote. we will update the vote throughout abc 7 morning. make sure you start voting now. >> i think it depends where you work. i love dogs but in the newsroom or in the studio it would be chaos. can you imagine? >> marking their territory, barking. >> yeah, it would have to be situational, i think. >> and how do you stop at just dogs? some of us have cats, lizards, snakes. >> peacocks. >> and i'm allergic to cats. i had a photographer i worked with in las vegas, he was terrified of dogs. it didn't matter if it was a puppy or full grown dog, he hated being near the dogs. he liked dogs but he had this phobia. >> unintended consequences may arise from this. let's talk about what's going on. take them outside today, my goodness. it will be absolutely gorgeous.

the look from tower. a little bit of fog trying to form, not a blanket like we would expect in the summertime. total sunshine, warmer weather everywhere. we'll see stars tonight. therll chance of patchy fog, even a better chance along the coast and in the north bay valleys. milder weekend highs. it's going to feel downright hot in some neighborhoods tomorrow and friday. i think you'll like the refreshing change for the weekend. here is a look at our storm track. clouds moving to our north, clouds down to our south, high pressure building in and bringing that warmth with it and sending all the storms away from us. we have mid-60s along the coast into san francisco. low to mid-70s around the bay and mid-70s in our inland neighborhoods. lows tonight, there you go, milder than this morning. a lot of upper 40s to low 50s. look at some of the fog trying to develop along the coast and a little bit up around santa rosa and petaluma. i want to jump ahead and show you thursday. if you like to go to the beach when it's sunny and warm, thursday is your day. low to mid-70s there.

we'll have mid to upper 70s around the bay. i have to change that temperature. we will be cooler around the coast. 50s and 60s saturday. alexis. >> looking good for the start of wednesday morning commute. >> we're about 30 minutes away from that. we did have an earlier crash involving three vehicles just before the toll booth. if you look in the parking lot on the right you can see chp vehicle. they were able to move that to the parking lot. no longer even blocking the shoulder and on top of that we had a disabled vehicle briefly blocking a lane once you got into the city. our drive time is still looking good. westbound 80 highway 4 to the ms., 17 minutes. just about nine across the bay bridge. san francisco to sfo. in the green should take you about nine minutes. thank you, the merger between sprint and t-mobile

could be in jeopardy. >> and netflix calls an end to the term netflix. here is a look at your "tech bytes." the pending merger between sprint and t-mobile could be in jeopardy. >> the companies hope to join forces but according to a new report from "the wall street journal," the $26 billion deal will likely be blocked by the government. fedex is ready to roll out a new team of autonomous worker. >> robots called same day bots cruise up to 10 miles an hour, navigate curbs, puddles and potholes and carry 100 pounds. it could launch as early as this summer. netflix wants to get rid of the term chick flick. >> the term implies only women are interested in romantic comedies and argued there's no equivalent category for man movies. >> were you woke watching beyonce on netflix? >> those are your "tech bytes." >> i don't even know what that

means. is that a thing? >> yeah, it's a thing. >> i'm so not cool. >> yeah. i don't mind the term chick flick. i own up to it. i love them. >> i do, too. hey, the world right now waiting for the birth of harry and meghan's first baby. also a very close call for a family in the north bay, tto harrison, the wine tcollection..

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the astros lived up to their billing last night, hottest team in the national league took one from the a's. we'll try to split the series. comfortable at the beginning, 63 under sunshine. 57 under the stars. have that coat handy. mike, thank you. a car rental company will pay $4.5 million to settle claims it cheated customers. prosecutors in san mateo and alameda counties accused easy rent a car of overcharging customers to repair damage they may have caused to their rental vehicles. according to the san mateo county d.a.'s office the rental agency agreed to stop the practice and stop collecting unpaid claims from customers. it will also pay a million dollars in restitution to affected customers. in the north bay, a family is safe this morning after narrowly escaping a scary accident. take a look. surveillance video captured a car slamming into a restaurant just seconds after a woman and two children walk out. it happened monday in napa.

>> once that door shut it happened within seconds. that was the first thing to came to my mind, that lady and those kids are still halfway out. the boy seemed fine but scared. the girl was very scared. >> incredible. shaken up but okay, not hurt. the driver told police her foot hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. let's take a look at what's going on from sutro tower. tree pollen will be high. weed and mold low. grass moderate and the uv index high. grab that sunscreen, you will need it. take a look at how much the temperature surged today. the closer you are to the coast, the smaller the surge, places like san francisco, two degrees warmer. oakland, four degrees warmer. redwood city, san jose, livermore and petaluma ten degrees warm eaer at 74 degrees.

good morning, mike. i want to take you live to golden gate bridge. watch the zipper trucks come through. you probably won't need it for a few more hours. the commute always one of our sot of green on ourwe good new i s jose. we did just double-check with chp to southbound 101 has reopened. that scene has fully cleared. no lanes blocked and you should be able to get through with no issues. >> all right. appreciate the update, alexis, thanks. you saw this coming, british bookies are busy taking bets on the next royal baby. >> the newest member of their family is expected any day now. people are placing bets on the name, weight, and gender. at one betting shop victoria and diana are the front-runners. some people are suggesting less traditional namames l gind chardonnay.

>> kensing queen wouldf tse latter namey would nix that for sure. i'm partial to victoria. it's my middle name. >> oh, that's why. >> i think it's a good name. >> very fitting. very royal. next at 5:00 a.m., ride share safety alert, the surveillance video showing what a fake driver did after dropping a passenger off at home. also, two dead whales discovered on bay area beaches. what experts plan to look into now. people are moving back home, but there is still a big problem in paradise. the new danger following the deadliest wildfire in state history. and as we head to break take a live look outside this morning. taking a look at the golden gate bridge which looks pretty clear but yet dark outside. weather and traffic coming up on the other side of the break.

now at 5:00, two dead whales found washed up in the bay area. why marine biologists find this very concerning and what experts will look at next. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. it's wednesday, april 17th. >> you're never more than seven minutes away from the accuweather forecast. meteorologist mike nicco has a really nice forecast in store for us. >> really do. that spring day you've been dreaming about the last several months, i think i have it for you today. a little bit of fog around napa, the airport, one-mile visibility. some of that is starting to leak across the east bay. keim an eye on that as alexis and i will, also, for your commute. you can see the stars are out over san francisco this morning. 45 to 50. a little bit cooler but with that full-on sunshine we're also warmer away from the coast at noon. coast mid-50s. 66 to 67 for the